


When Everyone's Watching

by loveandbeloved



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, and jelena falls over and makes weird noises, but also im not sorry, i hope the anon who sent me this prompt is happy, im sorry, liam is a savage in this, this is literally the meanest thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 18:38:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13347156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveandbeloved/pseuds/loveandbeloved
Summary: Zayn, in comparison, looks dashing as always, effortlessly beautiful regardless of what he chooses to clothe himself in. It’d probably be a bit annoying if Liam wasn’t the one in bed with Zayn at the end of the day, he thinks. As it is, though, Liam is torn between heart eyeing his fiancé and trying to fry the beard’s face off.Paddy nudges him, and Liam realizes he’s been staring off into space for a bit, sort of creepily considering the fact that he’s standing in the shadows near the store that they just emerged from, across the street from where the happy ‘couple’ just stopped for a bit of shopping. It’s now or never, Liam thinks to himself, smoothing down the front of his sweater and striding forward, plastering a confident smile on his face.Or a fic in which Liam roasts a certain someone, both in his head and out loud, and Zayn and Liam get their happy ending.





	When Everyone's Watching

**Author's Note:**

> So a Tumblr anon sent me this hilarious prompt, and I may have went a bit crazy. I had a lot of fun writing this though, and while it was a bit longer than I expected, I managed to finish in time for Zayn's 25th birthday! I hope you all get a kick out of this; I know I did.
> 
> Prompt- A surprise birthday visit: Liam’s been planning his birthday for months, but on management’s demand Zayn goes back to NYC to stunt with his beard on his birthday, leaving behind a devastated Liam who’s gonna put a dramatic end to this, by turning up on the very venue where the happy couple are getting papped.
> 
> Happy Birthday Zayn!

If Liam could describe himself in one word, he’d say he’s unpredictable.

No one thought the little 14 year old from Wolverhampton would be at the top of the charts, known internationally for his music, and certainly most people wouldn’t have expected him to go the urban route.

No one would expect Liam to be so open about sexual topics, not when he was ‘Daddy Direction’, always keeping the boys in line and making sure that no one strayed from the clean cut, family friendly media training that they received as teens.

No one thought he’d be covered in a plethora of tattoos, his mother least of all, some for decoration and some endlessly personal. Most people wouldn’t have been able to see his fashion tastes changing slowly in his time off; they were just shocked when he turned up without a plaid shirt or skinny jeans.

And above all else, no one would expect Liam, agreeable, obedient Liam, to fly over to NYC two days before a performance in London to interrupt a pap session that should never have been scheduled in the first place.

It’s Zayn’s twenty fifth birthday and he’s going to be stuck in the presence of a leech, taking pictures to prolong a stunt that’s already kicked the bucket as far as the majority of their fandom is concerned. That is, of course, unless Liam intervenes.

Liam can’t stop smiling, waving off Paddy’s eye roll and turning his phone off so his assistant can’t complain after he requests that she finds them a flight back from New York City for early Saturday morning. He pays her to do stuff, not to question his admittedly questionable motives.

Zayn hadn’t told him much about the plans, just that they had to be seen with _her_ and that he wouldn’t be home until Saturday night at the earliest. Zayn prefers to not know exactly what is required of him until it’s too late to back out, because he’s always too tempted to go ghost and then when he turns up weeks later he’s always punished by a more intense stunt.

It would be the first birthday they’ve spent apart in 6 years, and Liam isn’t about to let that happen. Zayn had sniffled over the phone when he told Liam, saying that he’d just got off the phone with his mum to break the news to the family. They were all driving down to London the next day to stay in the house with Liam and Zayn, planning to watch Liam’s performance and make it a fun family weekend for Zayn’s birthday. Those plans obviously had to be changed with Zayn not being able to make it until late Saturday, and that would leave them with almost no time to celebrate before his family had to drive back.

Liam is Zayn’s baby in a lot of ways, Zayn doting on him and guiding him around with a possessive hand on his lower back more often than Liam can count, but in that moment, Liam wanted nothing more than to destroy the world to protect Zayn from its injustice. He deserves better. They deserve better.

They feed off of each other a lot, needing energy and encouragement from the other when things get tough and people demand too much from them. When stunts feel never ending and beards seem like they’ll always be around, silently lurking in the background, waiting for the perfect time to show their faces and leech the life from their careers, Zayn is always the light at the end of the tunnel for Liam. Zayn is notorious for being a giver when it comes to Liam, always looking out for him and refusing to ask much in return, especially right now because Liam’s situation seems a lot more serious.

“I can handle another pap walk, babe. Don’t worry, yeah?” Zayn had said, resignation in his voice, and Liam hated to hear him so worn down so quickly, despite all the time they were able to spend together over the holidays. It only takes one leech, he thinks, to suck away your happiness.

Liam had promised that he wouldn’t worry, that he would call back later that afternoon after he took care of a few things. Things like booking a flight to NYC and packing his carry on, and running by the venue to sound check two days early just in case his flight got delayed, but Zayn didn’t need to know that.

Liam calls when he is settled in the airport, waiting for his flight to be called. Zayn sounds happy, but a little muted, rambling on about the recent time he’s spent in the studio and all the new sounds he’s working on that he wants Liam to listen to and tweak. Liam in turn shares the most current plans for his own music, Zayn having encouraged him to wait as long as he needs to release an album.

“It’s yours, Li. A reflection of you and what you love most, and you don’t need to rush it out to meet some imaginary deadline.” Zayn had been dead serious, making sure that Liam was focusing on him when he spoke, nodding firmly when he finished to punctuate his thought. Above all, Zayn is adamant that music should come from the soul, in one way or another, and Liam agrees, able to hear the difference between what he wants to release and what’s ‘radio friendly’ even in his own music.

Liam had taken it to heart, knowing that Zayn would never steer him wrong, and he felt better about his music now than he had for months. His label wasn’t happy at first, wanting Liam to capitalize on the events they’ve been organizing, but after a couple days of negotiations, they agreed that Liam staying true to his artistic vision would pay off in the future. Zayn had kissed him softly, whispering how proud he is of Liam, making him promise to send the first copy of his album straight to Zayn’s private email.

Their conversation devolves from there, as it usually does when they get excited and don’t want to say goodbye. Listening to them talk must be like following a trail of suggested videos on YouTube in a way, skipping from one subject to the next, and looking back, Liam has no idea how they got from music to the ideal way to set a table for a normal meal.

“Folding napkins for an everyday lunch is just so pretentious, Z!” Liam insists, laughing because this is a ridiculous thing to argue about.

“Is not! It makes every meal feel special. Just a bit of class goes a long way.”

“All it does is take up extra time that we could spend eating,” Liam grumbles, thinking about having to fold a napkin just to unfold it to use it ten minutes later. What’s the point?

“Well I don’t see you setting the table that often babe,” Zayn sounds amused, “but if you feel that strongly about it, I guess you can have it your way.”

“Damn straight,” Liam crows into the phone, whooping and celebrating his victory exaggeratedly just to hear Zayn cackle over the phone.

“Not exactly straight,” Zayn murmurs lowly, as if Liam need a reminder. As if Liam doesn’t exist with the constant thought that he’s engaged to be wed to the most incredible man alive, that Liam is the luckiest man on earth. What Zayn sees in Liam, he’s not sure, but he’ll thank the powers that be for it every day.

“Not in the slightest,” Liam agrees with a soft smile, looking up as his flight is announced over the intercom. “Hey babe, I’ve gotta go. We’ll talk tomorrow, yeah?”

Zayn mutters his goodbyes, sounding a bit put out because if Liam wasn’t flying to New York, he’d probably have stayed on the phone with Zayn for hours longer, maybe even skyping him to see if 25 looked any different on his beautiful face. As it is though, Zayn will be okay with a bit of temporary disappointment when it comes to the long term results this trip will bring.

Liam settles in on the plane, getting comfortable and drifting off to sleep, smile on his face as he’s whisked in the direction of his favorite person on earth.

***

Liam sees her before he sees Zayn, caught off guard by her atrocious outfit. It’s red and slick, almost like a rain coat for someone that’s several sizes larger and several inches taller than her, with a large slit in the middle to show off ripped navy tights. The sleeves are so loose and long that they fall over her hands, concealing where she’s probably gripping too tightly at Zayn’s lax fingers.

Liam can’t help but snicker thinking about the fact that Zayn couldn’t give less of a fuck about proper hand holding techniques when it comes to beards, choosing to make them do all the work or risk looking like an idiot. Usually it’s a combination of both, honestly.

The dress ends just above her ankles, revealing shoes that are even uglier than the dress itself, a weird crossover of tennis shoes and high heels that look unsteady at best, and hazardous at the worst. And of course, she’s advertising for her new clothing line with the same old brand yet again, using Zayn’s face, on his birthday no less, to try and sell her nasty products.

Liam glares, praying that somehow he developed laser eyes on the flight and can now just roast her to death from a distance before swooping in to save Zayn. He’s out of luck though, because she keeps tottering along, walking like a new born deer instead of an experienced model. What a joke.

Zayn in comparison looks dashing as always, effortlessly beautiful regardless of what he chooses to clothe himself in. It’d probably be a bit annoying if Liam wasn’t the one in bed with Zayn at the end of the day, he thinks. As it is, though, Liam is torn between heart eyeing his fiancé and trying to fry the beard’s face off.

Paddy nudges him, and Liam realizes he’s been staring off into space for a bit, sort of creepily considering the fact that he’s standing in the shadows near the store that they just emerged from, across the street from where the happy ‘couple’ just stopped for a bit of shopping. It’s now or never, Liam thinks to himself, smoothing down the front of his sweater and striding forward, plastering a confident smile on his face.

Jelena sees him first, recoiling and dragging Zayn to a stop as Liam meets them halfway on the sidewalk. Paps are gathered on the street, snapping pictures of the staged outing before realizing that another celebrity just strolled into the frame. Liam quirks an eyebrow at the fake smile Jelena shoots him. He’s not here to play games, but she’ll realize that soon enough.

Liam’s eyes slide to Zayn, who is staring at Liam like he grew a third head or an extra limb somehow, expression completely dumbfounded as he takes in Liam from head to toe and back up, landing on his face. Liam winks, smiling brightly because it’s _Zayn_ , and Liam’s heart always goes a bit funky when he’s around, even after all these years.

It’s funny, watching Zayn come to life when he realizes that he’s not dreaming, that Liam really is right in front of him. He tugs out of Jelena’s grip, ignoring her slight protest as he steps up to hug Liam.

“Hey babe,” Liam murmurs, suddenly overly aware that this is the first time they’ve been together in a public setting in almost three years. Nothing like falling into each other’s arms to show people that things are fine between them, he thinks, squeezing his arms around Zayn’s slight frame.

He’s lost weight lately, but he’s still within the normal range for his height. Liam’s been watching, all too afraid of Zayn falling back into the same toxic cycle he was in when he finally broke under the pressure that was crushing them all. It’s been years, practically a lifetime in this industry, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen again.

The stunts got to them all in the band, but Zayn especially took them to heart, letting his emotions get the best of him time and time again, on behalf of himself, Liam, and their friends. It didn’t matter what they wanted though, it was clear from day one that they weren’t in charge of their own personal lives in the public eye. And it hasn’t changed since then, because Zayn still feels too deeply and continues to think the best of a world that treats him like garbage, being disappointed time and time again only to turn around and give them another chance.

Zayn is the bravest person Liam knows, standing up against the deliberate failures of his inadequate team, surprising everyone by succeeding in the most adverse of circumstances, but even brave people have their breaking points, and Liam refuses to let Zayn get anywhere near his again. Today should help, he thinks. One less lie hanging over their heads at the end of the day.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Zayn whispers, face tucked into Liam’s chest to stop the paps from taking pictures.

“Happy birthday, love,” Liam replies as Zayn steps back, staring into Zayn’s eyes and thinking about how much he wishes he could kiss Zayn in the moment. Zayn understands, like he always does, because he smiles wryly, mouthing “later” in reassurance.  The hug was probably too lengthy for one between two friends, regardless of how much they went through together, but Liam doesn’t give a fuck. And if this goes down like he thinks it will, neither will the rest of the world.

“Liam,” her voice is so annoying, Liam thinks, eyes closing slowly to resist flat out glaring at her. One word is enough to grate on every single nerve in his body. Liam isn’t an expert on human anatomy and physiology, but he’s pretty sure there are a fuck ton of nerves under his skin and bones. Maybe she should put it on her CV, Liam muses while glancing at her with distaste. ‘Super-awkward-model, awful designer, can annoy Liam Payne up to full capacity with minimum effort.’ Sounds amazing.

“I didn’t know you were in town,” she continues, and Liam does his best not to mock her facial expression like he’s in a Mr. Bean movie. Obviously she didn’t know. Zayn didn’t know for starters, and even if he did, it’s not like Zayn tells her anything apart from “please don’t touch me” and “please stop talking I’m trying to text Liam about how annoying you are”.

“Well it wasn’t in my schedule initially, but you know how plans can change,” Liam says pointedly, adrenalin beginning to course through his body just from his proximity to someone that he can’t stand in the slightest.

She doesn’t know how to respond to that slight jab, probably not expecting thinly veiled hostility to coat Liam’s tone and expression, but Liam doesn’t care. “I’m actually just here to pick up Zayn. We’ve got dinner reservations and I’d hate to be late because of your little play date.”

Liam makes his eyes exaggeratedly wide, bottom lip poking out a bit and he nods as he talks, as if what he’s saying makes perfect sense and isn’t throwing a dangerous shadow over the fake relationship that’s been the bane of Liam’s existence for the past two years.

Jelena’s eyes go wide though, suddenly realizing that Liam means business and isn’t going to take no for an answer. She glances over at the paps, who are watching the three of them intensely, clearly aware that shit is about to go down and ready to film every single bit of it, before looking at Zayn to see how he’s reacting.

Liam looks at Zayn too, relieved to find that his eyes are amused, even if his expression is serious. “Sorry,” Zayn mumbles to her, shrugging and making a face that says ‘not sorry at all’, before turning to Liam. “Did you drive?” he asks, as if there’s nothing else he has to do to end this awful pap walk.

As far as Liam is concerned, there isn’t. He can just take Zayn, drive him home, and they can spend a quiet evening together before flying back to London. Management got some pictures, Liam gets his man, and everyone is happy. Well everyone but Jelena.

“What the fuck?” she asks, clearly outraged because Liam intruding on their very “private” day out must be coming as a complete shock to her. And also she must have had no clue that people would be recording the whole thing. Poor girl.

“Maybe you should get your hearing checked,” Liam suggests, voice kind which probably is more insulting than him being rude, to be honest. It’s a good thing that Liam is all about insults when it comes to fake leeches. “He said that we’re leaving. Buh bye.”

She makes noises similar to the woman in the “You spilled WHCHHAHWHCHA lipstick in my Valentino white bag?” vine, and it takes every ounce of Liam’s willpower to not call a timeout and go ask the paps for a recording of that sound. Instead, he settles for laughing lowly at her expense.

“Ooookay,” Liam says, reaching to touch Zayn’s side, ready to lead him away when Jelena stops making cat-choking-up-a-hairball noises and comes to her senses.

“Don’t you dare leave me here like this!” she exclaims, her voice shrill, and god, Liam wishes she would just _shut up_ for once.

“If you leave, we’re over. Do you hear me?? OVER!” she’s yelling as if Zayn and Liam are walking away, and not still standing just a few feet away.

Liam guesses that having your (fake) boyfriend walk away from you on his birthday, before you can even take and post a super staged video of him at the half-assed, poorly themed ‘party’ that you’ve planned would be pretty upsetting but still. Sis needs to chill.

Zayn is looking at her like she’s something he scraped off the bottom of his shoe. And not even a pair of shoes that he likes. “Alright?” he asks, clearly not interested in her response.

She doesn’t answer the question though, and Zayn rolls his eyes. “Let’s get out of here,” he mutters, turning away from her to smile softly at Liam. Liam beams back, because can’t believe that he’s with his favorite person on earth, or that his favorite person on earth is _25,_ because What The Fuck, time? Slow down please.

“Wait,” she snivels behind them, Liam barely resisting the urge to growl at yet another interruption, as they both turn to look at her with dull faces.

Her eyes are wide, expression blank like a robot as she “Zayn, I didn’t want to tell you like this,” her bottom lip quivers exaggeratedly, and Liam rolls his eyes. Here we go.

“I’m pregnant,” she announces, voice loud and void of emotion, both positive and negative despite the severity of the news. Liam doesn’t believe it for a second, the girl in front of him probably on every form of contraception known to man because her body is her career, and dearest Yolanda would never let her sacrifice that. The paps react immediately though, snapping pictures frantically, some calling out questions while others shush them, clearly interested in how Zayn responds.

They will be sorely disappointed if they are expecting any drama from Zayn though, because he doesn’t even blink, his expression remains as bored as always when Jelena is around. If he closed his eyes, he’d basically be asleep standing up to be honest.

Liam won’t let them down though, entirely fed up with this whole sham of a relationship. It’s high time that someone puts this leech in her place and tells the truth about relationships within the entertainment industry, and no one is going to stop Liam from doing it. Not now.

“Fuck off, Jalapeño,” he hisses, the venom in his voice making the pointed usage of a mocking name twice as vicious. “Honestly how desperate can you be? Is daddy’s bank account not enough to prop up your terrible modeling skills anymore and that’s why you have to turn to Zayn? Because he actually worked for his success and you think some of it might rub off on you?”

Zayn chokes beside him, obviously making a weak attempt to hold in laughter at his beard’s expense. Liam snorts, aware that he’s being blunt, a far cry from the polite man he normally is, but at the same time this is a hilarious situation, and Zayn’s amusement just fuels the fire.

“Unfortunately for you, the only one Zayn will be rubbing off on is me.” Liam grins wolfishly, like the cat that got the canary. Liam is feeling like a predator and Jelena is looking very small, despite her towering heels and clownish outfit. Time to make things interesting.

“ _And_ the only one around here getting any dick from Zayn is me.” Liam thumps his thumb against his chest to emphasize the statement, a broad smile on his lips and a determined look in his eye as he adds, “You can tell by my glowing complexion.”

Liam beams then, supporting his chin with the back of his hand, batting his eyelashes and popping a foot out behind him to show off his undeniably beautiful skin. She just stares at him, probably in shock because Liam hasn’t spoken to her directly like this ever, has barely acknowledged her for the past two years, and she definitely didn’t expect this to happen ever, much less today, in public, after she already posted a fake loving message and a picture of Zayn that she didn’t even take.

Liam motions for her to come closer, so he can whisper something that’s not for the paps. Just for her ears. She looks hopeful, like maybe he’s going to pretend it’s all a joke and help save her stuntlationship. Like Liam might just say “sikeee” for the paps and carry on lying about the existence of his own fucking relationship. Not fucking likely.

“Not that you’d know, but Zayn’s come is an excellent moisturizer. I always leave feeling _refreshed_. Saint Ives should be shaking.”

Jelena lurches back like Liam’s words might infect her, stepping closer to Zayn with an annoyed look on her face because that’s probably not what she was expecting to hear. Zayn steps away from her pointedly, much closer to Liam, and the paps titter in response. Liam isn’t sure how much they’ve caught on camera, but it’s pretty clear that whatever is happening wasn’t planned, and Zayn is stepping out of the script to support Liam’s unexpected appearance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You are crazy,” she spits, face the picture of indignation, and Liam can’t help but chuckle, because it’s a good thing she’s a model and not an actress. She’d be even worse in the film industry, and he makes a point of telling her so. She gasps loudly, and Zayn is shaking with silent laughter, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. Liam knows Zayn is far too polite to ever put her in her place, too much of a peace-keeper to ever make future interactions awkward for both of them.

Liam and Zayn are alike in a lot of ways, their love for R&B music, action movies, old comics, cozy sweaters, lazy mornings, and spicy foods to name a few, but Liam doesn’t shy away from conflict like Zayn does, isn’t afraid of making people squirm. His mind is screaming at him to knock things over, flip tables and throw vases on the floor, metaphorically speaking. He’s definitely intent on trashing the house in which Jelena has built her new persona, and dragging Zayn out before he does.

“Crazy about Zayn, my fiancé? Yes.” And Jelena inhales sharply, because there it is. All the sexual implications could’ve been undone, written over, but implying a secret long term relationship hiding under her very public one isn’t something she can escape. Liam isn’t done though, feels like he’s just getting started.  “Crazy about his dick? Also yes. You have no idea,” and he smirks, eyes dark as he flicks them to Zayn.

Zayn is watching him carefully, lips quirked and eyes encouraging, because he’s not planning to stop Liam from telling the truth. Not when it’s something they’ve both wanted for ages, and it’s within their grasp thanks to Liam’s dramatics. Liam turns back to Jelena, narrowing her eyes at her.

“Crazy about you attaching yourself to him every time you have a new project to promote? Not so much,” and he might as well have shot her, with the way she claps her hand to her chest and screeches indignantly, going to take a step back but tripping over her ridiculous (and hideous, honestly) choice in footwear. She goes down hard in a pile of gaudy fabric, stringy hair, and noodle-y limbs, basically the most graceless person on the planet in that moment.

Liam keeps himself from laughing, but just barely, because he doesn’t want the headlines tomorrow to be how he pushed a famous model down and laughed about it. Liam is grateful for the five feet of space between them too, because it’s all on video and his team will run her into the ground if she tries to attack him for simply speaking.

Jelena looks up at Zayn, as if she’s expecting him to do something, either to stop Liam or help her but Zayn just shrugs. Liam huffs out a laugh, bending down to offer a hand to her in spite of himself. Damn manners. ‘Karen, you’ve trained me too well,’ he thinks, as she rights herself and snatches her hand away.

Liam rolls his eyes at her theatrics, deciding that he can be just as petty. “Can’t walk, can’t even stand up on your own. Remind me how you made a career when you carry yourself like that?” Liam asks, a bit harshly but it’s been years coming now. He taps his cheek, pretending to be deep in thought, before miming a light bulb going off over his head. “Oh yeah! Your father paid your way as far as he could before paying to contractually attach you to Zayn just as his solo career was starting.”

“How convenient,” he deadpans, officially 100% over this conversation, talking over her as she begins to holler protests and insults in tandem.

“Sweetie, the gig is up, yeah? I’m done with you playing this game at my fiancé’s expense. Go find some other victim, you’ve never faced a shortage of them in the past.” Liam dismisses her with a wave of his hand, before a thought comes to mind.

“Oh, and why don’t you call the creepy old men you must be sleeping with to keep yourself on the covers of all those magazines and let them know about their potential impending fatherhood, yeah?” Liam suggests, faux-sweetly, and the look of horror on her face is something that Liam wishes he could capture and put in a frame for days when he needs a good laugh.

“Whatever. You’re insane, both of you. My people will be in touch,” she hisses, grabbing the edge of her flowing dress to avoid tripping yet again as she wobbles away, towards the car that she and Zayn were supposed to be making their way towards. Liam and Zayn watch her go, side by side, arms barely brushing, but the contact is enough to make Liam’s heart go wild.

“That’s that I guess,” Liam mutters, turning to judge Zayn’s reaction. Zayn’s mouth is slightly open, eyes wild, dark and darting back and forth across Liam’s face like he’s going to disappear if Zayn doesn’t keep an eye on him. “Alright?” Liam asks, nervously, because normally Zayn would’ve answered with a quick quip.

“That was so fucking hot,” Zayn gasps, reaching for Liam’s face and smashing their lips together, the type of kiss that they usually reserve for the bedroom instead of a crowded street with cameras watching their every move. But Liam is a weak man, at least when it comes to Zayn, and he melts into his touch, clinging to Zayn and letting him do whatever he wants.

They separate with a slick sound an indefinable amount of time later, both breathing heavily, and it takes a bit for either of them to notice to paps going crazy, screaming their names.

“We should probably go,” Zayn mumbles, and Liam agrees, looking around to signal for Paddy. Paddy is already standing nearby though, nodding his head in the direction of the street and escorting the boys towards the car that Liam arrived in, tucking them into the backseat and climbing into the front as paps begin to move in, desperate for an exclusive comment from Zayn and Liam. All they get, though, is a terse “fuck off” from Paddy as he starts the car and drives away, towards their home just outside the city.

Liam turns his attention to Zayn, curling into his side and wrapping an arm around his abdomen happily. There’s no place like home, Liam knows, and it just so happens that his home is in this beautiful man’s arms.

“Thought you were just mad because I couldn’t come home,” Zayn admits quietly, pressing a kiss into Liam’s hair.

“Never,” Liam promises, lips nudging against Zayn’s throat. He kisses the skin there gently, a soft hello because they were separated for a week and it felt like forever. “I was mad at the situation, not at you. But it all turned out, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Zayn agrees, snickering, and Liam joins in, relief and a host of emotions that Liam can’t even begin to describe filling his chest and worming their way out of him in laughter.

“Love you Z.” Liam wonders if he’ll ever get tired of saying that, of expressing his deepest emotions to the person he cares for the most. He doubts it.

“I love you more, Li,” Zayn murmurs, voice so soft and affectionate. It wraps around Liam, curling through his veins and arteries, around tendons and ligaments, through his organs to settle in his bones. Without bones, a human would just be a pile of flesh on the ground, because the body can’t function without the support of a combination of dense connective tissue. And without Zayn’s love, he thinks, Liam would be just as useless as a person without bones.

That night they settle into their home together, cooking dinner and playing with the dogs, both of their phones off because they are no doubt blowing up as the news gets out. Management will probably have a stroke, but neither of them care. Liam calls his assistant from a disposable phone to get their flight information. She begrudgingly congratulates Liam for “telling that bitch what’s good” and wishes Zayn a “happy birthday you fucker” before informing both of them that her fee has increased due to all the extra work she’s going to have to do in the future.

Liam promises her a raise and bonuses, thanking her and hanging up after confirming the flight information one last time.

It’s a weird feeling, Liam thinks. Freedom is something that Liam hasn’t tasted in a long time, and today’s battle was a sweet victory. Not that it’s over though, because Liam knows it’s only beginning. They’ll have to fight to stay together, fight to keep their images from crumbling, fight for the right to keep releasing music despite breaking their contracts to reveal the truth.

Liam stands firm in the knowledge that they are who they are, and that doesn’t have to change, not now or ever. It doesn’t matter if no one is watching, or if the whole world is. Zayn is Liam’s and Liam is Zayn’s, and nothing will tear them apart. It’s far easier to fight a war together, Liam thinks, and there’s no one he’d rather have at his side than Zayn. His Zayn.

***

Breaking News: In an unexpected turn of events, members of the boyband One Direction, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne, have announced their relationship of six years today, after an unexpected disagreement between the couple and model Gigi Hadid occurred. It has been reported that the two men have been secretly dating since the early days of the band, unable to reveal their relationship due to clauses in their original contract. Their contracts are now being investigated by a group of lawyers, and it has been reported that a formal suit will be filed against the One Direction management team for emotional and physical harassment, inhumane treatment, and defamation of character. All of One Direction is expected to participate in this suit. Stay tuned for details.


End file.
